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April 10, 2009

Odds N' Ends

A round up of zombie-related news hitting the web

Mock ups and prototypes for unused Left 4 Dead box art have been circulating online this week. They've popped up on the official Left for Dead blog with a commentary about how the final and much loved box art was finalized. [via Left 4 Dead Blog]

"Zombies are the new vampires," proclaims Lev Grossman on Time's entertainment page. Grossman offers comments on how the zombie has clawed its way into popular culture and not only horror pop culture but that of Regency romance and superhero comics, dubbing zombies the "monster of the recession" [via TIME.com]

Craig Wilson at USA Today also remarked on the zombie content of popular culture, focusing primarily on Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and upcoming projects like Diablo Cody's adaptation of Breathers. He also mentions other zombie-related work for younger audiences like Zombie Queen of Newbury High by Amanda Ashby [via USAtoday.com]

Even Academia is interested in talking about zombies. On April 13th, Dr. Steven C. Schlozman, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and a lecturer at the Harvard School of Education, will be giving a lecture on zombies. Scholzman will be pontificating on the psychological appeal of zombie movies and offering some theories on how zombies might operate neurologically were they real. Sholzman's lecture is part of the Coolidge Corner Theatre’s Science On Screen program [via The Harvard Crimson]

Not everyone is enamored with zombies in culture, however. Cartoonist Brian McFadden rails against zombie walks in a recent entry to his Big Fat Blog: "Be warned hipster douchebags, you are doing to zombies what goths did to vampires: turning them into pussies and punchlines." As a volunteer at zombie walks and zombie walker, I can't help feel that McFadden sounds more the douchebag than the "hipsters" he is ranting about. Love his comics though. [via Big Fat Blog]

Finally, Automopedia.org has posted a fantastic list of the 10 Best Zombie Apocalypse Survival Rides. Including fictional, concept and real-life vehicles, this list is a shopping list for gear heads who want a leg up during the zombie apocalypse. However, it might take a zombie apocalypse to put some life back into the recession-pinched automotive industry before you can get one.